Another New Year

The holidays have come and gone and they were fabulous.

There is always something special about celebrating with family and this year was no different.

Christmas eve was celebrated at my mom's place and little Pauly had a blast. My sister's kids are 4 and 2 and they were all over him. Pauly was sharing his toys and at one point Róisin (the 2 year old) picked up a toy that Pauly has lost interest in. Or so we all thought. A mere 2 seconds after pushing the button, Pauly turned his head, reached up to her and with furrowed brows began his "Ahhhhhh" in protest. For us, it was the funniest thing but I'm sure Pauly didn't appreciate our laughter. A flustered Róisin quickly handed the toy back and everything was as it was before.

Dinner was good, dessert was great and as anticipated, Pauly was more interested in the wrapping paper then his actual toys. I suppose you can't ask for much from a 6 month old.

The next morning, Paul, Pauly and I enjoyed our own Christmas.





My favourite gift was the car starter Paul got for my Element. No more trekking outside to start the car on those cold winter days :)

After lunch we started packing up and shortly there after, made our way to my in-laws. Thus continuing the Christmas saga. We settled in by opening presents and then had a wonderful dinner. After, Pauly and I took an impromptu nap on the couch while the rest of the family watched Inception.

The following day we went to my sister's for a Christmas lunch with my dad. He had a great time playing with his grandkids and wished us all a Merry Christmas before leaving.

Since it's soooo difficult to buy for people who need nothing and who usually have what they want, Paul and I decided to take some family portraits and give them to our family. We though it would make a good personal gift and we were right. Especially since family is the core of Christmas for us.

As Christmas Approaches...

On Saturday Pauly turned 6 months old and it got me thinking of all that's happened in the past year. It feels like he has always been a part of my life and to remember a time that he wasn't sleeping in my arms is like a dream. It's hard to believe that at this time last year I was telling my family about my pregnancy. And for this, Christmas will always hold a special place in my heart.

The holidays have always brought me memories of my childhood but my journey has changed course. It will now be about the memories I will leave with my son. Of traditions I will share with him and ones we will start. I know it will be some time before he can remember these Christmas' but there will be lots of pictures to reminisce about.

All the presents are bought and wrapped. They are just waiting to be enjoyed. I would have loved to place them under the tree but the thought of our dog chewing them has led me to do the untraditional. They are perched upon the table next to the tree.

And every day that passes leads to a growing excitement of Paul's First Christmas. What a joy it will be.

15 Weeks Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas is almost over and it's been a great couple days. It started with Christmas eve at my mom's. Turkey dinner with all the fixin's and then the good news of my pregnancy, followed by dessert. Everyone was happy for me & Paul and we answered all the usual questions, "When's the baby due?", "Do you know the sex yet?", "Are you going to find out?"... The night continued with opening presents and periodic questions about the baby. It felt great sharing the news with them.

The following morning started with Paul making me breakfast. We talked about how we would tell his parents later that day, and decided to use the photocopies of the ultrasound pictures. We got to my in-laws at about 3:30pm and were just sitting around talking. When everyone was settled in we started opening gifts. It took a little while to get through all the gifts but the very last ones were plain white envelopes for my father & mother in-law. Paul had them open the envelopes at the same time and they were quite surprised and very excited to become grandparents again. My sister in-law was really excited to become an aunt for the first time. And of course we answered the usual questions...again. Dinner and dessert came next with talk about the baby. It was a few hours since then before Paul got to tell his brother who is living out in British Columbia. He was happy too. It has been another great night and we are happy that our little secret is no longer a secret.

Tomorrow I'm seeing my dad but I'm not sure if I'll tell him then. I know he'll be happy for us but he's not one for expressing his feelings. We'll probably get a nod and "Oh that's good. You guys must be very happy. Congratulations." Either way it'll just make the rest of the day uncomfortable. It's a better idea if I tell him over the phone.
As for sharing the news with other people, Paul told his bosses and his best friend a few days ago. I'll be waiting until next week to tell anyone else.
And my lil' bean couldn't be happier. He/she is about the size of an apple with legs that are now longer than the arms. Elbows and knees are able to move more freely and the eyebrows and scalp hair have begun to grow. The eyes can now sense light behind the eyelids even though they are still fused shut, and in a few weeks my lil' bean will be able to hear my voice. This has definitely been a Christmas to remember.